Bridging the Communication Gap: Preventing Parent-Child Conflicts
The absence of preliminary communication between parents and children lays the groundwork for misunderstanding when the time comes to ask for help. If clear and transparent methods of interaction have not been established beforehand, each party may interpret requests and responses through the distorted lens of their own expectations and feelings. Parents, having not set up a clear and open dialogue about needs and expectations, often demand from their children what, in their view, should be done without explaining their motives or considering the child's emotional response. In such cases, a request for help can be misinterpreted, leading to mutual reproaches and conflicts.As one source vividly illustrates, the main conflict between parents and children arises exactly because parents, often neglecting their children properly, demand that they conform to their own ideas of how things should be (source: link txt, page: 44). Such behavior creates a situation where every word or action is perceived ambiguously, potentially leading to hurt feelings and long-term distrust.Another example shows that the lack of clear, predefined communication protocols directly leads to conflicts. The story of a boy named Kolya demonstrates how unspoken expectations (for instance, spending money on chewing gum instead of a game) can result in a quarrel where neither side feels heard (source: link txt, page: 2971). Without prior discussion and the establishment of mutual understanding, every new demand or request is perceived as an imposition of someone else's will, thus laying the foundation for misunderstanding.Therefore, when parents and children do not establish common principles and norms of communication in advance, requests for help can turn into sources of conflict, as neither party understands the true motives and expectations of the other. Establishing and maintaining a clear dialogue helps to avoid such misunderstandings by allowing both sides to clearly articulate their needs and intentions.
Supporting citation(s):"Why does the main conflict between parents and children arise?Because parents, often entirely neglecting their children, demand of them something they deem necessary. And what rights do you have? I understand if you had truly devoted your soul to a person, if you sacrificed everything, your very essence, for their upbringing. And you, who did God knows what, now demand: do this, I think so... And why do you think you are right? On what basis? It is all driven by our self-love, selfishness, and complete misunderstanding of the situation, because we forget that we are sinful beings." (source: link txt, page: 44)"Kolya, having saved money from the allowance his parents gave him, decided to spend it on chewing gum and stamps. However, his parents wanted him to buy some game instead of gum. The boy insisted on his choice, while the parents stood firm on theirs. It ended in mutual reproaches, hurt feelings, and a quarrel." (source: link txt, page: 2971)